Technical Papers Presented at the Defense Nuclear Agency Global Effects Review Held in Santa Barbara, California on 7-9 April 1987. Volume 2
Abstract
Studies have confirmed the possibility of significant temperature decreases and other severe environmental perturbations following a nuclear war, with potentially critical implications for human survival. Nevertheless, important uncertainties remain to be resolved. Fuel Inventories; Fuel Impaction; The quantities of fuels affected by nuclear explosions are sensitive to the scenario adopted. Smoke Emission Factor: Burning petroleum, plastics and related materials can emit 5% or more of their mass as soot; recent experiments reveal that the combustion of wood under restricted ventilation can convert up to 2% to soot; such emission factors imply blacker smoke than has been presumed in most existing studies. Plume Heights: Simulations and observations indicate initial smoke injection as high as 15 kilometers. Prompt Scavenging: The immediate rainout of the sooty component of smoke emissions is probably less than 50%, because of its poor nucleation properties relative to other materials, and because of the likely overseeding and reduced precipitation efficiencies of smoke clouds. Mesoscale Dispersion; Acute Climate Change: The extent of land surface cooling for a specific smoke injection can presently be estimated to within a factor of 2; Long-term Climate Change: Preliminary investigations show important couplings between smoke injections, oceanic responses, ice formation and other processes that drive persistent climate fluctuations over periods of years; residual stabilized smoke layers could greatly enhance these effects; uncertainty about the long-term chemical interaction between soot and ozone must be resolved; Other Environmental Effects; Biological Impacts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 19, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA198195
Entities
Organizations
- Kaman Corporation